The Harvest Festival
by aprilkitty
Summary: Regina introduces her new friend Daniel to the annual Harvest Festival. This is a sequel to "A New Friend."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This story begins shortly after "A New Friend," where 10-year-old Regina becomes friends with Daniel. Each chapter will take place during a different year of the Harvest Festival.

**Disclaimer:** "Once Upon a Time" and its characters do not belong to me. I'm only borrowing them.

Today was going to be an exciting day for Regina. She was heading to the Harvest Festival. The event was held every year, and she always looked forward to it. This year, though, she was even more excited than usual. Her new friend Daniel would be going, and she couldn't wait to show him everything.

Regina wasn't even bothered by her mother telling her to change her dress twice. Today she was going to have fun.

She looked around eagerly as they arrived at the festival. There was every kind of food imaginable—everything from chicken sandwiches and corn to apple cider and pumpkin pie.

Regina's mother frowned and her father laughed as Regina ran up to the booths, looking at everything. She was also looking around for Daniel. He and his family were arriving separately. As soon as Regina saw him, she smiled and waved, and he grinned and waved back.

"Can I walk around the festival, Mother? Daddy?" Regina asked.

"Of course you can," her father said before seeing the look on his wife's face. "If your mother says it's all right."

Regina looked at her mother.

"You may walk around, but don't make a spectacle of yourself," her mother said. "And don't get your dress dirty."

"Thank you, Mother," Regina said.

She made her way through the crowd toward Daniel.

"Have you ever been to a festival like this?" Regina asked as soon as she got over to him.

Daniel shook his head. "No, my village had a harvest festival, but it was nothing like this."

Regina took his hand. "There's so much to see here. Let me show you."

They walked around to the different booths, trying out the pastries and candy. They watched a man walking around on stilts and were fascinated by a man demonstrating new inventions.

Then, Regina saw a beanbag-throwing game.

"I bet I can beat you at this," Regina said.

Daniel grinned. "I bet you can't."

It was a close game, but Regina did beat him. However, next they played a ball-throwing game, which Daniel won.

"Now we're even," Daniel said. "Should we try some ice cream?"

A couple was selling homemade ice cream in multiple flavors. Regina wondered how they kept it cold.

"It looks good," Regina said. "I'll have a chocolate cone."

Daniel got a strawberry cone, and they walked for a little while, eating their ice cream.

"Oh no!" Regina exclaimed as ice cream fell on her dress. "Mother is going to be so angry."

"Well, that man with the new inventions was demonstrating that stuff that takes out stains," Daniel said. "It seemed to work pretty well."

Regina nodded and walked over to the man with Daniel. She was going to be in so much trouble if it didn't work.

"Sir," Daniel said as they walked up to the man. "Would that stuff you were showing earlier take out the stain on her dress?"

Daniel pointed to the stain. Regina thought that the man looked a little sinister, but she was desperate.

"Of course it would," the man said. "And, I will even remove the stain for free. You just have to promise me one thing."

Regina frowned. "What's that?"

"That you will come back and see me next year. I would like you to help me demonstrate an invention."

"All right," Regina said a little hesitantly. The man probably wouldn't be back next year anyway. After all, she had never seen him before.

The man poured the liquid on the cloth and dabbed at the stain. It disappeared.

"Wow," Regina and Daniel said simultaneously.

"It works quite well, doesn't it?" the man said.

"Yes, it's like…" Regina didn't want to say the word "magic."

"I will see you next year, Regina," the man said, and he walked away as Regina and Daniel both stared after him.

"Did I tell him my name?" Regina asked.

"I'm not sure," Daniel said, frowning. "At least the stain is out."

"That's true," Regina said. "Let's go play some more games."

Regina forgot about the man as she and Daniel enjoyed the rest of the day together.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Regina thought about the day ahead as her mother sat behind her and brushed her hair.

"Will you sit still?" her mother said. "I'm trying to get this tangle out."

"I'm sorry, Mother," Regina said.

Normally she would be bothered by her mother fussing over her, but she was so excited about the Harvest Festival that nothing would make her unhappy. It was a cloudy day, and Regina hoped that it wouldn't rain. If it was going to rain, she hoped that it wouldn't happen until they were already there so that there would be no threat of them going back home.

"There," her mother said. "You finally look presentable."

Regina nodded. She would have to be careful to avoid spilling anything this time. Thinking about that made her remember the inventor who had given her that stain remover last year. She frowned. What if he was actually back there this year? Would he remember her and make her go up for a demonstration like he said he would?

Her mother was looking out the window. "I do hope it doesn't rain. I really wanted to get a few of those nice teacups, and that woman only sells them at the Harvest Festival."

Regina didn't care about the teacups, but she was glad that her mother had a reason to want to go every year as well. She was so happy last year that Daniel had liked the festival just as much as she did.

"Be downstairs in ten minutes," her mother said as she left the room.

Regina wondered if there would be any new booths there this year. There usually were. She hoped even more that there would be new games that she and Daniel could play.

It didn't start raining in those ten minutes, so they got into the carriage and headed into town. When they arrived, Regina's mother made her suffer through looking at decorations for the living room.

"Someday, you will need to decide how to decorate your home, and I won't have my daughter picking out tacky things," her mother said.

After Regina passed her mother's test and avoided picking out tacky decorations, she was finally allowed to go over to Daniel.

"Regina, did you see the new game?" Daniel asked.

"No, my mother made me pick out decorations," she said. "Where is it?"

"Here, I'll show you," Daniel said, taking her hand.

It was crowded by the new dart-throwing game. Regina couldn't wait to try it, but they had to wait in line for several minutes.

"Did you see anything else new?" Regina asked.

"I saw a few new booths," Daniel said. "There was one that was selling peppermint candy."

"Ooh, that sounds good," Regina said.

Candy was a safer bet than ice cream for avoiding stains. Regina had always wanted to go through the obstacle course, but she didn't even want to think about how her mother would react to that.

It was finally their turn. Because there were so many people trying out the new game, many were playing in teams. So, Regina and Daniel played as a team rather than against each other. They both popped quite a few balloons, and they won the game. They were both smiling as they carried off the stuffed animal they had won.

"We make a good team," Regina said.

"We really do," Daniel said.

"Regina, how lovely to see you again," a voice said behind her, making her jump.

Regina and Daniel turned around, and the inventor from the previous year was standing by them.

Regina swallowed. "I'm sorry, sir, but I didn't get your name last year."

"That's because I didn't give it," the man said. "Now, I believe that you promised you would help me with a demonstration."

Regina looked at Daniel, and he shrugged.

"It's probably nothing that bad," he said. "I can help, too, can't I? We can help out together."

"I suppose you can," the man said. "Come along, then."

They followed the man to the stage, and he introduced them to the audience as they went up there. Regina was still confused how he knew their names. Had he been spying on them?

"Ladies and gentleman, this next invention is one that will surely come in handy," the man said. "Don't you hate it when you're forced to eat something? Whether it's children being forced by their parents to eat vegetables or a guest who doesn't want to insult a host, it's just something we all have to suffer through."

The man smiled and pulled out a bottle from a box.

"Until now," the man said. "One drop of this, and any food you don't like will suddenly taste like your favorite food."

He turned to Regina. "I have a variety of foods here," the man said, pointing to a table full of vegetables.

"Which of these foods do you not like, Regina?"

"Asparagus," Regina said, wrinkling her nose.

"And what is your favorite food?"

"Apples."

The man pulled out a bottle. First, he had Regina take a bite out of the asparagus to prove it was real. She was annoyed at Daniel for saying this wouldn't be that bad, but at least he would have to do it, too.

Then, the man put a drop of the liquid from the bottle on the asparagus and had Regina try it again.

"Now, what does it take like?" the man asked.

"It tastes like apples!" Regina said.

It really did, too. Regina actually would have liked a bottle of that for the next time her mother made her eat vegetables she didn't like.

Then, he had Daniel try it. At first, Daniel said his favorite food was apples, too, but that annoyed the man, so he said peppermint. The man put the drop of liquid on the broccoli, and Daniel had the same result.

"As you can see, it only takes one drop, and these little bottles are easy to hide," the man said. "Yet they last a long time. I have nearly any flavor you could want."

As people began to line up to get the bottles, the man gave the two bottles he had used in the demonstration to Regina and Daniel. "Thank you for your help," he said. "I'll see you next year."

Before Regina or Daniel could say anything else, the man walked back up to the crowd.

"What will he want us to do next year?" Regina asked.

Daniel shrugged. "At least we got these for free," he said. "But, I'm not sure if I want to use it or not."

"Why not?" Regina asked.

"Well, do you really trust that man? I don't know if I want to put something he gave us on my food."

Regina frowned. "You have a good point."

Still, she put the bottle in her bag anyway. It didn't hurt to keep it around, just in case.

Regina felt sprinkles on her arm and then on her forehead.

"Oh no, it's raining," she said.

"Well, at least we got to spend a few hours here," Daniel said.

"Regina!" her mother said as she came toward them. "It's starting to rain. We have to go."

"Goodbye, Daniel," Regina said. "I'll see you later."

It was really starting to rain by the time they got into their carriage. Regina was still sad that their day had been cut short. She wondered if they would see that mysterious inventor again next year.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** This chapter takes place a few years after the previous chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Regina stared out the window at the bright, sunny day. At least her mother couldn't use the weather as an excuse not to let her go to the Harvest Festival this year.

Regina had not been allowed to go to the festival since her mother had discovered the little bottle of taste-changing liquid that Regina attempted to use on her asparagus. Regina's mother had been very unhappy about that and had asked her quite a few questions about the man who had given it to her.

She had been forced to sit at home while her parents went to the festival. Daniel had told her all about it. Apparently, the mysterious inventor had never shown up again. However, Regina still wasn't allowed to go until this year. She only hoped that her mother would actually let her go off on her own so that she could spend some time with Daniel.

Regina went downstairs, and her mother came up to her and immediately began smoothing her dress.

"Now, Regina, I'm allowing you to go with us to the festival today," her mother said. "But, you are not a little girl anymore. You are nearly 16, and I expect you to act like a lady."

"Yes, Mother," Regina said.

Of course, that would mean a lot of looking at decorations and gloves and no playing games, but Regina would take what she could get. At least she was being allowed to go this year.

As Regina rode with her parents in the carriage, she wondered how much time she would be able to spend with Daniel. Her mother had been discouraging their friendship more and more, and Regina found that she would sometimes have to lie to spend time with him. At least she always had her riding lessons.

When they arrived at the festival, her mother immediately had her looking at tea sets and gloves. She and Daniel had already agreed where to meet, so Regina tried to act enthusiastic about everything her mother was showing her so that she would let her go off on her own. After about an hour, Regina checked the clock and took a deep breath.

"Mother, is it all right if I go watch the horse jumping competition?" Regina asked.

Her mother frowned. "I suppose, but don't get into any trouble, and don't get that dress dirty."

"Yes, Mother."

Regina went over to the stands to meet Daniel.

"You got away from the doilies and teacups?" Daniel asked with a smile.

Regina smiled back. "For a little while, yes."

They sat together on one of the benches.

"I brought some chocolate," Daniel said. "Do you want a piece?"

"Yes, thank you," Regina said.

Daniel broke off a piece, and their fingers touched as he handed it to her. Regina blushed. She had been doing that a lot lately around Daniel.

Regina and Daniel sat and watched the competition for a while. Every once in a while, Regina found herself watching Daniel instead. One time, he caught her watching him.

"Why are you looking at me? I don't have chocolate on my face, do I?"

Regina felt herself blushing again as shook her head and turned back to the competition.

"I would love to be able to do that," Regina said.

Daniel smiled. "Well, we can keep working on it."

Regina shook her head. "We can work on it in lessons, but Mother would never let me enter a competition. It's not what a proper lady would do."

"Well, maybe we can have our own little competitions," Daniel said.

Regina smiled. "I'd like that. It will take me a while to be as good as you, though. Now, if we were in a beanbag-throwing competition…"

Daniel laughed. "I saw that they still have that game. We should go play that after this is over."

Regina wondered if she would be able to get away with that or if her mother would find her and get angry.

"Maybe," Regina said.

The competition was over a few minutes later, but as Regina and Daniel started walking away from the stands, Regina could see her mother standing there with her arms crossed.

Regina sighed. "I'll see you later," she said to Daniel.

"We'll work on getting you to ride like that tomorrow," Daniel said.

Regina smiled and headed over to her mother.

"I thought you weren't spending so much time with that boy," her mother said.

"He was just giving me riding tips," Regina said.

Her mother frowned. "You don't need to be doing all those stunts."

Regina sighed again as they walked back toward the carriage. At least she could look forward to spending more time with Daniel tomorrow. She was thankful that she at least had the riding lessons with him. She really couldn't imagine her life without him.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** This is the final chapter of this story. This chapter takes place after Regina and Daniel become a couple in "Sweet Sixteen." Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Regina looked in the mirror as she got ready to go to the Harvest Festival. She thought that she looked fine, but she knew her mother would disagree when she got downstairs. At least she was getting to go to the festival again this year. Whether she would be able to spend time with Daniel there was a much bigger question.

Now that they were secretly in a relationship, Regina and Daniel needed to be careful about spending too much time with each other in front of her mother. Daniel wanted to tell Cora about their relationship, but Regina knew that would be a bad idea. Her mother had a very specific idea of what she wanted Regina's life to be, and marrying a stable boy wasn't part of it.

Her mother frowned at Regina and started fussing with her hair as soon as she got downstairs.

"Lord and Lady Chester will be meeting us at the festival," her mother said. "I want you to spend time with their son."

Regina frowned. "But…" she started, before catching herself.

She wanted to protest, but she was afraid that doing so might make her mother suspicious of her relationship with Daniel. Regina had met Lord and Lady Chester's son before, and he was boring to talk to. All he wanted to talk about was gold coins. Not only that, having to entertain him was going to make it even harder for her to spend time with Daniel.

"Is there a problem?" her mother asked, tugging a little harder on Regina's hair.

"No, Mother."

"Good," her mother said, standing in front of her and looking her up and down. "I suppose that will do. Now make sure not to get your dress dirty."

"Yes, Mother," Regina said.

Regina sulked as they made their way to the festival. She didn't see any way that she would be able to spend time with Daniel. As soon as they got there, she had to curtsy when they met Lord and Lady Chester, and then Regina's mother sent her off with Jacob.

"Do you have any idea how many different kinds of gold coins there are?" Jacob asked.

Regina was sure he had told her the last time they talked, but she didn't remember any of it. She was certain she wouldn't remember any of this information now, either.

"No, I don't."

Jacob was only too happy to tell her every last detail about gold as they walked around the festival. He never asked her about her own interests. Regina looked around and wondered where Daniel was.

"Gold really is fascinating," Jacob said.

"Yes," Regina said.

She hoped that he didn't ask her any questions about what he had been saying. She really hadn't been listening very closely; she was too busy looking for Daniel. Just then, she spotted Daniel heading toward them. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Regina looked at Jacob and wondered if he had noticed. He was too busy talking about gold, though.

"Hello," Daniel said as he came up to them.

"Hello," Regina said. "Jacob, this is our stable boy, Daniel."

She hoped that her voice didn't betray any of her feelings. Jacob didn't seem suspicious, though.

"I just saw a large display of gold coins over there," Daniel said, pointing at a booth down the street.

Jacob looked to where he was pointing, and Daniel smiled and winked at Regina. Regina had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Jacob said. He looked at Regina. "Did you want to come with me to look at the coins?"

"Oh, if you don't mind, I was hoping to look at the hair ribbons," Regina said. "I can do that while you look at the coins."

Jacob nodded. "That sounds fine. I'll meet you back here in a little while."

As soon as Jacob left, Regina and Daniel went behind one of the buildings and wrapped their arms around each other. As their lips met, Regina was feeling particularly grateful for Daniel's cleverness. She was breathless by the end of their kiss.

"Mmmm. That was very smart of you. I wonder how long we have, though."

"Probably not long," Daniel said, brushing his fingers through Regina's hair. "How long could somebody look at coins?"

"Oh, I don't know," Regina said. "The way Jacob was talking about them, I would think he could look at them for hours."

Daniel laughed. "It wasn't really that big of a display. You know, maybe this would be easier if you told your parents about us. Then, we wouldn't have to sneak around."

Regina shook her head. "No, at least not yet. My mother would not react well."

Daniel frowned. "She's going to find out eventually."

Regina sighed. "Probably. Can we talk about this later? We don't have much time. We need to make good use of it."

She wrapped her arms around Daniel and brushed her lips against his. As their kiss grew more passionate, Regina forgot about the time completely.

The sound of children shouting made them pull apart. A few children were running around, playing a game of tag. Regina smiled. Sometimes she missed being a child.

"We should be getting back," Daniel said. "I imagine Jacob will be waiting to tell you all about the coins."

"I'm sure he will," Regina said. "I'll see you tomorrow, though, for my riding lesson?"

Daniel smiled. "Yes, we'll see each other again tomorrow."


End file.
